Colors. Male.—Entire plumage glossy black, with a greenish lustre, except a spot on the inner web of each primary quill, occupying about the middle third of its length, which is pure white. Bill and feet, black.
Female.—Entire plumage, except the tail, cinereous, tinged with olive on the back and abdomen; superior wing coverts, and inferior tail coverts, edged and tipped with white. Quills, dark-brown—secondaries edged with white; tail, black, without lustre. Young—like the female; but in the males, with the spot on the primaries discernable, though more or less obscure.
Hab. California, New Mexico and Mexico. Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada., and Nat. Mus., Washington city.
Obs. A remarkable resemblance exists between the bird now before us and two other species of Fly-catchers of another genus, Fluvicola comata (Licht.), and Fluvicola nigerrima (Vieill), both of which are natives of South America, and we have seen the latter also from Mexico. The three birds resemble each other in general form in a very considerable degree, and in colors are almost absolutely the same, the prevalent black of the plumage differing only in shade. Generic and specific distinctions can, however, readily be made out on comparison of specimens. Fluvicola has the bill longer and not so wide at the base and with much stronger bristles; the wings are differently constructed, the first primary being long and well developed, not short or rudimentary as in Ptilogonys. In those two species of Fluvicola, which differ from each other materially only in size, the white spot is more at the base of the wing feathers than in Ptilogonys nitens, in which it occupies the middle third of the primaries. Fluvicola comata is the same as Blechropus cristatus, Swainson, in Naturalist’s Library, Flycatchers, p. 99, plate 7. No other species of Ptilogonys is black.
Plate 30
The Mexican Wren
Troglodytes mexicanus (Swainson)
TROGLODYTES MEXICANUS.—(Swainson.)
The White-throated Wren.
PLATE XXX.—Adult Male.
In the United States, the little House Wren is associated with so many pleasing recollections, and possesses such pre-eminently social and familiar habits, that one almost expects in all birds bearing the name of wrens, to find similarity of disposition, and perhaps similar regard from the people of other lands. But this is by no means the case. There is really but one House Wren, and that is the little fellow who comes punctually in the early spring, and evidently without a doubt of his being welcome to take possession of the box or other habitation of the previous season, perhaps of many seasons. And forthwith he commences housekeeping, which usually, if no accidental discouragements intervene, is very successful, as one may judge from the number of little heads soon to be seen by peeping in at the door of his domicile.
The Wren is, in this country, nearly as much of a household bird as the Robin, of Europe, and more than any other, not even excepting the Martin, is universally regarded with favor. He is, however, the only one of the numerous species of American Wrens that shows any disposition to cultivate the acquaintance of mankind, or at all to accept of any proffered hospitalities. Though the Carolina Wren and Bewick’s Wren both venture occasionally into the garden or orchard, they are comparatively shy and apprehensive, apparently, of there being danger in too great familiarity.
The large species represented in our present plate is a native of Mexico and California, and lives exclusively in localities remote from the habitations of man. Though known as a bird of Mexico, it is not represented as an abundant species in that country, and within the limits of the United States has been observed only by Dr. Heermann, and Dr. Kennerly.